Managing Your Environment
Link between Human Health and the Health of our Environment
Earth Day is April 22nd, and people around the world celebrate with rallies, clean-up events, and educational programs to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Since my teenage years, when I started participating in Earth Day events and really paying attention to the state of our environment, I began to see that that human health and the health of our environment are inextricably linked. When I became ill with autoimmune encephalitis, looking at my environment became an even greater priority. For many years I have cleaned my house with non-toxic products, choosing instead to use Norwex brand cleaning cloths, water, vinegar, and baking soda to clean. I choose to buy soaps, detergents, and personal care products for my family that are free from harmful chemicals that are known to cause cancer, disrupt our endocrine system, and are toxic to our reproductive systems. As a family we try to make choices that are better for the environment and our health on a daily basis. It’s an ongoing challenge to do better and I’m constantly learning. In my book chapter on the effects of the environment and hormones on brain health, I explore how a highly industrially polluted environment affected my health while living in Beijing in the 90’s and then again in my mid-forties after living in Houston, Texas, another city plagued with industrial pollution. These two points in my life with neurological illness also mark opposite ends of my fertility spectrum and it’s known that hormones play a big role in the development of autoimmune disease.
Air it Out
For now though, I’ll tell you a story about what happened last week when the flooring contractor working to finish the stairs in our new house opened a can of epoxy. Since moving into our new house two weeks ago, we have had a steady stream of workers finishing up a long to-do list of jobs. Our house has been a hive of activity with painters, carpenters, plumbers and electricians on a daily basis. Having so many people making noise around me all week has been very taxing for my sensitive brain. On Friday I was wearing earplugs to try to relieve a bit of brain fatigue as the noise of the electric sanders being used was almost unbearable. Luckily it’s spring here so we’ve had the windows open to let the house “off-gas”, and we’ve had the air purifiers running non-stop to try to clean the air from all the dust and chemicals.
Toxic Fumes
So last Sunday, when the flooring guy opened the can of bonding agent to secure the bolts holding our stairs to the landing, I was instantly overwhelmed by the toxic fumes. Throwing the windows open wider and cranking the purifiers up to their max level, I carried on unpacking and tried to stay out of his way. Within an hour, my left leg was limping and dragging and I burst into tears as I walked past the room where my husband was working. Right away, a look of panic crossed his face and he started hustling me into the car to retreat to a friend’s house and escape the fumes. If you’ve been reading my blog or following me on Instagram, you know that neurologically I’ve been on the edge for a number of weeks now. The stress and lack of good quality sleep that comes with building a house and moving has definitely affected my health and I have been very careful to try to manage my brain health by taking breaks, eating well, and practicing good self-care. The epoxy was just too much for my sensitive neurological system to handle.
Rest and Recovery
Retreating to my friend’s house, where I’d been going to write daily to escape the chaos in my house, I burst in to tears when I saw her after limping up the path to her front door. As a good friend and nurse, she tucked me in on the couch under a blanket, made some tea, brought me a big glass of water, and started making a lovely healthy quinoa salad for us for lunch. I spent the next few hours reading and resting and trying not to panic about this exacerbation of symptoms. I had my husband send me a picture of the can and was horrified to learn that the epoxy being used was actually an autobody filler, no doubt designed to be used in a mechanical shop with huge extractor fans! No wonder I was feeling ill! Within a few hours, I was feeling much better, and thankfully my symptoms were mostly resolved. My husband and son came out to my friend’s for dinner and assured me the house wasn’t smelling anymore and the contractor had long since finished and the epoxy was dry. Returning to our house later, I couldn’t smell it anymore and my symptoms didn’t ramp up again so with an extra blanket, purifiers still running, and the windows wide open, we went to bed. The next day when the contractor returned to sand the areas he’d patched, I could smell it again and quickly darted outside for a walk until the smell dissipated again.
Know Your Triggers
I’ll check my theory with my neurologist at my next appointment but I have to wonder if neurologically my left side is my “weak spot” as it endured nerve damage when the autoimmune brain inflammation was at it’s worst? It certainly seems like whenever I’m exposed to a big trigger (like something toxic in my environment), that the weakness, numbness, and tingling reappears. Even seemingly smaller triggers like poor sleep, stress, constant noise, or a common cold can trigger neuro symptoms and cognitive decline in me, reminding me of the importance of listening to my body and managing my environment. Have you noticed the role of the environment on your health? What have you done to address it?
